John Woo

Born on May 1, 1946 in Canton, Guangdong, China, Woo was raised in Hong Kong when his father, a scholar and school teacher, decided that living under Communist rule was no longer tolerable. But his father was stricken with tuberculosis and unable to provide for the family, leaving Woo's mother to work construction and other manual labor jobs. As a result, Woo grew up poor, living in tiny shacks in the Shek Kip Mei slums. He was lucky, however, to have the support of his church and an American family, who paid for his schooling fees throughout his academic career. After losing his father to his long battle with tuberculosis, Woo set his sights on becoming a film director following a brief fli... Continue Bio >>